Unprecedented Acid‐Promoted Polymerization and Gelation of Acrylamide: A Serendipitous Discovery |
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| Authors: | Siew Yin Chan Dr Shermin S Goh Dr Qingqing Dou Benjamin Qi Yu Chan Dr Wee Sim Choo Prof David James Young Prof Xian Jun Loh |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia;2. Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore;3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore;4. Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia;5. Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), Singapore, Singapore |
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| Abstract: | Dilute acid polymerizes degassed, aqueous acrylamide with concomitant gelation, without the need for added free radical initiator or cross‐linking agent. This reaction is accelerated by sonication or UV irradiation, but inhibited by adventitious oxygen or the addition of a free radical inhibitor, suggesting an acid‐accelerated free radical process. The resulting hydrogels are thixotropic in nature and partially disrupted by the addition of chaotropic agents, indicating the importance of hydrogen bonding to the 3D network. This discovery was made while trying to prepare pectin‐polyacrylamide hydrogels. We observed that pectin initiated the gelation of acrylamide, but only if the aqueous pectin samples had a pH lower than ca. 5. |
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| Keywords: | acrylamide cross-linking gelation hydrogels polymerization |
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